Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 49:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Jacob calls all his sons together to hear what will happen in coming days. The verse opens a future-facing tribal poem, not a set of detached end-times predictions.
Read It With
- Genesis 49:1–28
Read verses 1–2 with verse 28. The repeated gathering and hearing commands open the speech, and the closing verse identifies the sons with Israel's twelve tribes.
Why It Needs Context
The opening does not state the content by itself; the following sayings define the varied future, while verse 28 supplies the tribal frame.
Read Genesis 49:1–2 together
Why these verses belong together: The repeated summons establishes the future-facing tribal frame for the whole poem.
Verse 1. 1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Verse 2. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 49:1–28 — Jacob Speaks Over His Twelve SonsSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, family antecedents, tribal reception, royal trajectory, and Christian canonical reception.
Exact location: Genesis 49:1–28 with Genesis 34:1–31; 35:22; 37–48; 50:15–26; Deuteronomy 33; Judges 5; 1 Chronicles 5:1–2; 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 60; and Revelation 5:5 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Poetic structure, wordplay, difficult forms, leadership, animal images, divine titles, and Joseph's distinction.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 49:1–28, especially be'acharit hayyamim, pachaz kammayim, mekheroteihem, yiqqeru shor, shevet, mechoqeq, shiloh, mishpethayim, Gad wordplay, Naphtali wording, ben porat, avir ya'aqov, ro'eh, even yisra'el, and nezir echav
Open source ↗